Diversifying Lesson Plans- Fair, not equal
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Diversifying Lesson Plans- Fair, not equal
One of the increasingly popular mantras in education is "Fair is not equal. Fair is getting what you need". We in education are starting to realize that each class does not have all learners of one nature. You have students who are struggling, either with the topic or with English language, your middle of the road students, and your high achievers.
Most teachers only teach to the middle, because it seems easiest and most likely to serve the entire class. However, when you only teach to the middle of the spectrum, you are actually alienating two out of the three groups in your classroom. Your struggling students are not working on the middle level, and thus will get lost and exasperated or depressed. At the same time, high achievers are getting bored and feeling anxious to move on.
You can't just teach the struggling students- it bores both the middle and upper level students. You can't just teach the high achievers- then almost no one knows what is going on. So what do you do?
Tiering your lessons is a fantastic way to get all the students in your class on task. It's also incredibly simple.
First, create your middle lesson plan as usual. This is the work your average students will get during class. Next, create a challenge lesson- an extension of the lesson that is a little harder and more involved. The higher achievers, who will finish the average lesson, can move on to this. Finally, create a way to scaffold the average lesson so you can assist the struggling students in the initial task in a group.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Lynda Moultry |
